The Kelly Sutherland Award and the Brad Lazarowich Award were created to recognize officiating excellence in the BCHL and the league is proud to announce the recipients of the awards for the 2013-14 season.
The Kelly Sutherland Award is presented this year to Ryan Dawson. Dawson, a Kamloops native, is a veteran official in the BCHL who made the switch from lining to refereeing two years ago. He refereed in the BCHL playoffs this past season and was scheduled to work a game in the Fred Page Cup, however the series was swept by Coquitlam.
“Ryan is a quality official and person; he is a professional in every sense of the word and is extremely respected by his peers, and our coaches and players, for his professionalism and ability to communicate,” said BCHL Director of Officiating Derek Adams. “Ryan’s commitment to the BCHL is unparalleled and he is a leader on our staff who sets the bar extremely high for the standard of how we want our games in the BCHL to be officiated."
The Brad Lazarowich Award is presented to Matt Caillet. It's an extremely impressive accomplishment as this was Caillet’s first year as a linesman in the BCHL.
Caillet established himself as a hard-working, eager, and committed official. In the off-season, Matt attended three officiating camps to ready himself for the BCHL season and it paid off for the 17-year-old Nanaimo native as he worked the BCHL playoffs in his first season.
“Matt’s selection as the award winner was about what can be accomplished as a young official in our league when you commit yourself to becoming the best," said Brad Lazarowich, Co-Director of Officiating for the BCHL and the man for whom the award is named. “Matt worked extremely hard in the summer and carried that work ethic and willingness to learn into the season, which translated into a very successful year."
“These awards are a testament to the commitment the BCHL Board of Governors has to recognizing and supporting the officiating program in the BCHL,” said Adams. “I congratulate both Ryan and Matt for receiving these awards, but I am extremely proud of everyone on our officiating staff. There are always going to be some tough games, but our staff consistently comes to the rink every night to work hard and be the best team on the ice every night."
